Just Trying to Get By
by bellalavanima
Summary: Katherine Sommer's life is slowly crumbling beneath her. Who knew she would find the strength and means to survive from the newsies of The World?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Just Trying to Get By

**Author name: **bellalavanima

**Summary:** Katherine Sommer's life is slowly crumbling beneath her. Who knew she would find the strength and means to survive from the newsies of The World?

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations owned by Disney. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author notes:** Please review! I would love to get some constructive criticism on this.

From her bench in City Hall Park she could see the newsies pouring out of their lodging house and hear their eager conversations.

"Heya Race!" shouted a tall newsie wearing a pink undershirt.

"Mornin' Skittery. Hey, Skittery," the newsie that was apparently named Race leaned over confidentially "spot me three bucks?"

"Ha, no way."

"Jack! Jack! Come heah, look at dis!" gestured a small boy waving a wooden sword.

"Whatcha got there Les?" The rowdy crowd made her wonder if perhaps she should have listened to her brother's advice last night.

"I bought what I could with what we had," she said, placing the small, wilted cabbage on the table.

"So, we have nothing left?" her brother asked.

"No…he spent it all," she replied quietly as she began to cut off the rotted pieces and dispose of them.

"I guess I'd best give up on school for a bit and get a full time job. I can't believe I was so stupid to think that I could become a doctor under the circumstances…" he shook his head, in a way that made her think he'd had these thoughts before.

"Sean, don't be foolish, you have one year left until you're done with medical school, and the connections you're making at the job you have now will be so helpful when you become a doctor."

"But, Katherine, we have no money left…" he said slowly, trying to make her grasp the gravity of the situation.

"I'm going to get another job,' she replied resolutely, chopping into the cabbage a bit too forcefully.

"Katherine, you're a sweetheart, but you're just not cut out to have a job."

"No, I really found one that I think will work this time," he looked at her dubiously. "I got the idea on my way back from the market. I'm…I'm going to be a newsie," his looked changed from one of doubt to one of shock.

"You can't be a newsie, that's a job meant for orphans and.."

"Well, I'm an orphan."

"Maybe legally, but you've had different opportunities than them. Katherine, they're a bunch of ill-mannered, unlettered hooligans!" he rose from his seat, gesturing wildy. "I can't let you do this, its…"

"Just hear me out," she replied and he sat down wearily, waiting for her to begin. "At least as I newsie I would be my own boss, so they can't fire me," he didn't object, so she continued "and I would have an advantage. I mean, consider all the young businessmen that work around city hall park, don't you think they would be more willing to buy a paper from a charming, presentable young girl,"

"Don't flatter yourself," he interjected.

"than a dirty little boy?" she looked at him hopefully. He shook his head and looked like he was about to say something before she interrupted.

"Sean, you have to let me do this. For the past year and a half I've failed miserably at keeping a job long enough to contribute to this family, I might finally be able to help. I don't want to be the reason you don't become a doctor."

"Alright, but if anything…bad happens do you promise you'll stop?"

"Of course," she replied reassuringly. "Now, lets enjoy this sorry excuse for a cabbage."

Remembering how against this her brother had been gave her a new sense of determination, she had to show him she could do something. She resolutely rose from her bench and made her way to the gates of The World. Skirting around two young boys wrestling in the dusty street she gathered her courage before joining the line of newsies waiting to buy papers.

"Does anybody got an extra…" Their voices fell silent when they saw her. A few Newsies took off their hats in way of greeting, and some tried a weak smile, but most just looked at her with curiosity. As she waiting, trying hard to look unfazed, she heard their poorly hushed whispers.

"Whadda ya make of dat?"

"Think shes a newsie?"

"I ain't nevah seen her before, plus she looks too rich." She looked down at her pink and lace dress, one of the few she had left. _If only they knew_, she thought. She tried to look disinterested, as if this was the most natural thing in the world for her to do, but in truth she was as lost as can be. _Do I just go up to that window and purchase some newspapers to sell? How many should I buy? Well, he just bought a hundred, could I really sell one hundred papers in a day? Oh, the little one bought thirty, perhaps I'll just try that._ It was her turn.

"Morning, miss, how may I help you?" asked a kindly older gentleman.

"Um, I would like to buy some newspapers to sell."

"Alright then, how many?"

"Thirty, I suppose. How much is that?" Jack smiled as he saw her confusion. He had seen the possibility immediately of working with a girl like that. He knew how much business a well dressed, somewhat pretty young girl would attract.

"Thank you very much sir, good day." As she made her way to the street she was intercepted by a boy wearing a red bandana around his neck and a black cowboy hat. He was followed by a small assortment of newsies who looked on curiously. He smiled at her and she smiled courteously back, before making her way to leave. He stepped in front of her again, and she noticed that most of the newsies had stopped what they were doing to look on with interest.

"Jack Kelly," he said, putting out his hand. She doubtfully accepted it.

"Katherine Sommers."

"So, uh, this is your firs' time sellin' papes?" She nodded, wondering what he was playing at. "Well, then a'course you'll be wantin some help," she was about to protest before he continued "and that's where I could be of use to ya. Now Davie, Les, and me push about a thousand papes a week. You woik with us and we'd be glad to give you, say, ten percent of dah profits."

"Ten percent? It may be my first day as a newsie, but I'm not a fool. Now thank you for the offer, Mr. Kelly, but…"

"You heah dat boys? Mr. Kelly! Ha! Now, if we's gonna be woiking togeddah…"

"I'd really prefer to work on my own thank you." She said as she made to leave.

"Alrigh'," he said, putting up his hands in defeat "but, as a newcomah…" the rest of what he was saying was drowned out as she crossed the street.

"Jack, what was that all about?" asked Davie "If we split up our profits anymore, we're not going to make anything."

"Yea, Jack, you want to start woiking in groups of ten or what?" added Racetrack.

"How come you didn't ask me to start woikin' widja when I started?" yelled another voice.

"I just thought woikin' wid a goil could be useful."

"Yea, sure Jack."

"Whatever you say."

"No, honestly. A guy walkin' down da street would be more willin to buy papes from her dan any of us."

"I think_ you_ just want to buy some 'papes' from her," yelled out Kid Blink above the laughter of the newsies.

"Hey, I'd buy papes from her…"

"Mush!" the newsies yelled as they hit him with hats and papers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Just Trying to Get By

**Author name: **bellalavanima

**Summary:** Katherine Sommer's life is slowly crumbling beneath her. Who knew she would find the strength and means to survive from the newsies of The World?

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations owned by Disney. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author notes:** Please review! I would love to get some constructive criticism on this.

She was lucky to come upon a group of businessmen on their way to Wall Street almost immediately after she came out of the gate. They bought ten of her papers and lingered a bit longer than necessary. She was finally free of them when an older man, who appeared to be one of the superiors in their office, urged them on. At the beginning of the day she felt as if Jack Kelly had been following her, watching her, but soon he disappeared from view and she forgot about him as she tried different approaches of selling newspapers.

"Excuse me miss, would you like to buy a newspaper?" the woman waved her off angrily.

"Pardon me sir, copy of The World for only a penny?" he ignored her all together. She had luck with no more than five of the people that walked by, but most weren't interested and she still had fifteen papers to sell.

"Katharine Sommers?" she turned around in surprise to be greeted by a tall, flushed, somewhat large woman who was squeezed into a dress that she probably assumed made her look thin.

"Mrs. Dalton! How do you do?" She smiled politely, but underneath her calm exterior her mind raced. How would she explain to an old family friend what she was doing selling newspapers like a poor orphan?

"I'm doing very well dear, thank you for asking. The ladies and I are on our way to our church's mission society meeting. We've sponsored a missionary to help the poor heathens in Africa," she beamed down at Katharine.

"How nice…"

"My dear child, are you selling newspapers?" questioned a stern looking woman at the back of the group.

"Oh…yes…but you see its for an, um, Orphan Relief Society."

"Why that's lovely!" cried Mrs. Dalton clapping her hands together in delight.

"But isn't it mostly orphans that sell newspapers to begin with?" continued the stern looking woman, who Katharine now recognized as a Mrs. Beaumont. When Katharine nodded she continued. "So, doesn't your selling newspapers actually hurt them?"

"Oh. Well, no, you see we help them to sell more papers," the woman didn't seem convinced. "If we see an orphan that has been having a particularly hard time selling even twenty papers a day we'll help them by selling with them, but letting them keep all of the profits. Or, if at the end of the day a newsie has not sold all of their papers we'll buy as many as we can from them so that they can still make a profit for that day," she told them matter-of-factly, hoping against hope that they would accept her story without questioning her further.

"Why then we must all buy one from you to help the poor orphans! Its so wonderful of you Katharine, having been orphaned yourself, to help others who have not been as fortunate as you. Now, lets see how many of us are there?" She spent the next few minutes counting out the group and wondering how many others they would meet at the church and if perhaps they should buy papers for them too and maybe the reverand as well. Finally she announced "I think fifteen would do, could we have fifteen papers please?" Katharine happily handed over her remaining papers and thanked the ladies profusely for their kindness. Mrs. Beaumont looked at her suspiciously one last time before continuing on with the group.

Katharine breathed a sigh of relief. Her and her brother may have been going through a rough spot, but she didn't want her aunt and uncle's friends to know it. Thinking about how she would be able to keep her story up if she ever saw them again she didn't notice a tall newsie with a black cowboy hat standing in front of her.

"You sold all your papes already?" He asked in disbelief. When she saw who was speaking she smiled. She had sold all of her papers, but she could let him think it was due to skill more than sheer dumb luck.

"Yes, but it looks like_ you_ have quite a few left so I won't take up anymore of your time," she smiled sweetly and continued past. She had barely walked away before another newsie caught up with her.

"Hi, uh, Katharine was it?" she nodded and he held out his hand "I'm Mush."

"Pleased to meet you Mush," she replied shaking his hand in return.

"Where ya headin'?" he questioned nonchalantly as he began to walk with her.

"Toward Delancey St."

"Me too, I'll walk ya. Dat is, if ya don't mind?"

"That would be very nice," she replied watching Jack out of the corner of her eye. She'd show him he couldn't expect to take advantage of her. Maybe she'd start working with Mush just to spite him.

Would ya like me to carry yah purse for ya?"

"Why thank you." Jack heard her reply as the two turned the corner.

"Well Mush moves right in, doesn't he?" Davie said at his side.

"What did I tell ya Dave, she's done sellin' thirty papes in less than two hours!"

"It was probably just beginners luck. Besides, Jack, if she doesn't want to work with us you can't make her." Davie's words had no effect and Jack was in a bad mood the rest of the day. Davie wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Jack looking at his battered novel, _Western Jim_, more than usual.

On their way to Tibby's restaurant Jack and Davie met up with Mush, who told them all about his walk with Katharine.

"…and I'm tellin' ya, I think she's the one."

"Sure Mush, you say dat 'bout every goil," replied Jack disinterestedly.

"Nah, but seriously…"

"Wait, Mush, what are you holding in your left hand?" asked Davie as they walked into Tibby's.

"Huh? Oh no! Its her purse, I told her I'd carry it an I guess I forgot…"

"Hi Mush!" a high voice cried behind them, followed by a giggle. They all turned to see a blushing girl with bouncy blonde curls.

"Umm…Hiya Bess…" Mush said weakly, giving Jack and Davie a look of distress as he moved the purse behind his back.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked giggling as she made a grab for it. Jack stepped forward and took it out of Mush's hands before she could get it.

"He was holding it for me," she looked at Jack curiously and giggled. "I have to give it back to a friend," he said rolling his eyes. Mush looked at him gratefully.

"Ooooh, a _friend_." Betsy giggled again before turning to Mush. "Ready to go?"

"Sure, meet ya at the door in a second," when she was out of earshot he turned to Jack. "Thanks a lot, I owe you one."

"So, where does she live?" asked Jack.

"You mean you're going to…oh, well, ok. Corner of Delancey, it's a tall brown building, 'cept I don't know how you're gonna get in…"

"Alrigh' thanks. You comin' Dave?" Jack asked over his shoulder as he made his way to the street.

"Jack, you can't be serious. You can't just show up at this girl's apartment!" Davie explained as he followed Jack out the door.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing I doubt she'd let _you_ in, after how you treated her today. She'd probably slam the door in your face," Davie continued, trying to stop Jack.

"So then we'll use the fire escape."

"Jack!" cried Davie as he followed after Jack reluctantly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Just Trying to Get By

**Author name: **bellalavanima

**Summary:** Katherine Sommer's life is slowly crumbling beneath her. Who knew she would find the strength and means to survive from the newsies of The World?

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations owned by Disney. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author notes:** Sorry I haven't updated in a million years but I've been über busy. Please keep reading and review!

She has been washing the same plate for at least five minutes now, but her mind is elsewhere. Being a newsie had been so much fun, and so much easier than she had expected! And it was only her first day. She had told her brother little of what happened and had spent much of the evening just trying to absorb everything herself. She had mentioned her meeting Mrs. Dalton and he'd seemed quite interested.

"Did it seem like she believed your story about helping the orphans?"

"Well yes, but Mrs. Beaumont seemed suspicious. And even if she did believe me how much longer can I keep it up?" she replied, much more upset now after seeing her brother's response than she had been that afternoon.

"You're going to have to keep it up. We can't have them knowing what we've been reduced to. That would get the whole story about Uncle and Stephen out in the open and we can't have that."

"No of course not. You'd lose all your good connections at the hospital."

"And you'd never be able to find a decent husband," Sean replied somberly. She looked up at him, surprised.

"A husband? Since when has that become an issue?"

"Kate, don't get so upset. You're acting as if I'm trying to ship you off tomorrow. You have to know marriage will be a consideration eventually," he smiled reassuringly at her. She didn't know how to reply so she let it go, but she couldn't get it out of her head. She wasn't ready to get married. Especially not to any of those bores they expected her to marry. She was brought of her reverie by her brother placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm off to work the night shift Katherine, don't wait up for me," he pecked her on the cheek and seemed to notice that something was bothering her. Wrongly guessing what it was he added "We'll get this whole thing with Mrs. Dalton figured out," before closing the door behind him.

The figure in the doorway startled Jack and he quickly pushed Davie behind the wall before hiding himself.

"I think da guy we saw in through da window just left," he said over his shoulder, watching the figure until he turned the corner.

"Well that's great Jack, but there was no need to hide. You know we're not doing anything illegal," Davie replied, massaging his shoulder where Jack had pushed him and walking toward the front door.

"Whatcha doin'? We're takin' da fire escape," Jack whispered after him as he pulled down the ladder.

"What? I thought you were kidding!"

"And risk her slammin da door in my face?"

She absentmindedly put away the remaining dishes and then took a book out onto the fire escape to try to get her mind off things. She thumbed through her tattered copy of _Moliere's Collected Works_, the book that her aunt had cherished so much, but couldn't focus. Instead she gazed off along the rooftops, looking out at the city that had been her home for as long as she could remember. Her place in it had changed dramatically, she thought, as she watched the neighborhood drunk stagger off to his heap of blankets next to their building. They had never been extraordinarily wealthy, but her aunt and uncle were respectable people who lived in a nice neighborhood and were just on the cusp of high society. Leaning against the hard metal railing she fondly remembered the small balcony that they'd had at the old apartment.

"She jus' had to live on da fifth floor, din't she?"

"I'm sure the stairs are a bit easier going Jack." Jack? It couldn't be, she thought to herself as she leaned over to look down the fire escape. Oh, but it was, and it looked like Davie was with him.

"Nah, I been on a lotta fire escapes and dis heah's a pretty nice one. No rusted off rungs." What on earth did they think they were doing?

"You know windows slam too Jack, you can't seriously think this girl is going to let you in."

"We'll see about dat, now wouldja quit ya talkin? We'll lose dah element of surprise." She quietly ducked back into the house and pretended to be folding some linens. She didn't want to start what she knew would be an uncomfortable conversation and at least if they took her by surprise _they_ would have some explaining to do. It seemed like hours as she waited for them to make it up to her level. She didn't know what she'd say to them when they rapped on the window. She was intrigued by their visit and didn't want to throw them out without a word, but it went against every lesson of social propriety she had been taught to let them stay. She needn't have worried because Jack hadn't planned on giving her much choice in the matter.

"Good evenin' Ms. Sommers," Jack said as he pushed open the window. Davie sheepishly stayed on the ledge as Jack strode across the room to her. She had thought she would need to act surprised but his brash entrance had truly caught her off-guard.

"Jack, what on earth are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"

"I'm Jack now am I? Dis mornin' I wuz Mistah Kelly." He was uncomfortably close. Apparently he did not bide by the social rules of correct behavior between a lady and a gentleman. It was all she could do to get out her reply.

"You haven't answered my question." He just silently thrust her purse at her before turning to survey the apartment.

"Nice place ya got, have ya lived heah long?" He asked picking things up as he walked past them.

"Jack..," Davie interjected, still by the window.

"Not that long, only a few months," she replied, watching him curiously. What was he getting at?

"Yeah, I didn't think you was from around heah. Where'd ya live before?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Sommers, you'll have to excuse Jack, he can be a little presumptuous at times. We'll just leave you alone now," David interjected, pulling Jack toward the window again. Kate didn't want to tell them, but she was quite enjoying herself and she would have much preferred that they stay.

"Wait Davie, the goil nevah said she wanted us to leave. I'll stop pryin'. How 'bout we all just tawk?" He locked her eyes with his when asking this and all she could do was nod her acquiescence and shrug nonchalantly. Taking this as a warm invitation he immediately made himself at home, pulling a chair from the dining room table and sitting on it backwards. "Since Davie heah says I'm being too presumptious we can tawlk 'bout ourselves foist. Ya know 'bout da newsie's strike?"

"Well, I do think I remember something being written about it in a few of the papers."

"Well if yah didn't keep up on it maybe yah din't know Davie and I was da head honchos," Jack said leaning back a little and raising his chin in pride.

"Not really, we just sort of got thrown into leadership positions," Davie intervened sheepishly as Jack continued to beam. As Jack told the story of the strike, with Davie interjecting clarifications or variations, Katherine didn't need to feign interest. There was no awkwardness in the conversation and Katherine was never reminded of the complete impropriety of the whole situation until they had exhausted every tale they could tell of the strike. The laughter brought on by a story of Spot Conlon's antics slowly died down and they all stared off into space trying to think of what to say next. It was Davie who spoke first.

"Katherine, I don't mean to be rude, but you seem so much better than all this, how did you get to become a newsie?" She had never related to anyone the whole story of what had happened to her and her brother. Usually anytime an old acquaintance or a neighbor asked her a question about her situation she would immediately begin formulating her next lie. She didn't know why exactly, but she felt no need to lie to these two and without even realizing what she was doing she began telling her story.

"My father died when my mother was pregnant with me and in her grief and already weak state it was all she could do to have me before she died. After her death we all went to live with my mother's sister, my Aunt Charlotte. She was really the woman I considered a mother, and I always loved her dearly. Her and my Uncle Charles had never been able to have children so they were quite overjoyed to have us. She especially loved having a little girl that she could raise just as she wished. She tried to teach me as little of the home arts as she could so that she could foster the same passion for knowledge in me that she had. Although I loved it at the time in retrospect I feel she unknowingly did me a great disservice. My Uncle Charles and her were both great intellectuals and had a very equal relationship. Growing up in a home like that I was so spoiled. I was raised to believe that I was an equal of men and not just there to keep house and have children for them. Now when I even think of marriage I just…" she stopped herself. "Oh god, I completely went off on a tangent. That didn't at all answer your question, you wanted to know how I became a newsie and…"

"No, that did a good deal to answer my question." Replied Davie reassuringly, but she wondered if he was just trying to spare her embarassment.

"Well I'll tell you how I got to become a newsie anyways, and I promise it'll take me less time than that horrible tirade on women's rights and intellectualism," she laughed. "Anyways, to make a long story short my aunt died of pneumonia when I was sixteen. My uncle couldn't imagine the idea of living a life without her and soon relapsed into a most horrible kind of depression. He did nothing but sit by her bedside for a week after she died. He didn't even come to the funeral." Here Katherine stopped for a moment, remembering.

"Katherine, I'm sorry, if you don't want to tell us…" Davie began, but she couldn't stop now that she had started.

"Eventually he became so ill that there was nothing we could do but send him to an institution upstate. Sean felt that it would be better just to tell everyone that he had gone to live in their country house to get away from city life. If that had been the case the money might have held out. Perhaps he might have even been able to make a bit more if he had been in his right mind, but there were just so many bills from the hospital. We might have held out a bit longer, Sean does make a small salary at the hospital, if it hadn't been for Conrad. Conrad's my eldest brother, he's two years older than Sean, and after our Aunt died and our Uncle became completely incapable he took that as a good opportunity to get out of the stiff upperclass life he felt he had been forced to live. So he went up to Saratoga and began gambling and drinking and soon spent all the money he had. He then came back to take more from our Uncle's bank account without our knowing it and soon we found that almost the whole account had been emptied. Sean and I each have a little money in a bank account so we use that to pay the rent here but it's diminishing far too rapidly. We just hope Conrad doesn't come back soon demanding more money because we really don't have any to give him. Oh, I promised that I'd make this story short didn't I? I'm sorry I've been talking so long it's just that I've never told anyone this story and now that I started…"

"It's fine," Jack replied "How long did we tawlk to you 'bout our strike?" She smiled softly. "Now I wanna heah all 'bout your ent'ring into da newsie profession."

"Well when we realized the money was almost gone Sean said he would quit medical school to get a full time job, but I was adamant about him not quitting so I declared that I would get a job. I started out thinking I'd be a nanny. Not that I particularly love kids, but I at least know how the upper class works and since I'd been raised in that environment I'd be able to raise kids too, right? Oh no, very, very wrong. I didn't know the first thing about how to deal with children, so finally I sat them each down with a book and told them that after they finished the book they'd be allowed to play. Then I picked up a book so I wouldn't be bored as they read. I believe that's where I went wrong. You see I got so involved with my book that I didn't notice when they left the room until an hour later when a policeman brought them home from central park. They fired me before I could even apologize."

"But wait a minute, weren't you trying to keep what had happened to you quiet? If you were working for a family from your social circle wouldn't they recognize you and wonder what had happened? Davie questioned after they all stopped laughing.

"Well I found a job with an extraordinarily wealthy family that lived very far uptown, and while our social circle thought themselves high class they never mingled with people that high up. I went through a couple other jobs for wealthy families until I realized that I really wasn't cut out for that sort of work. On my way home from trying to buy something for dinner a few days ago I saw two newsies counting their money together. It made me laugh to see that they had more in their possession than I did. So I figured why not give it a try?"

After a few more minutes of idle conversation Katherine glanced at the clock and was reminded that her brother would be home in an hour and a half. She felt the need to hurry away her Jack and Davie before Sean returned and banned her from ever selling newspapers again.

"Night Kat'rin, maybe we'll be selling tuggedah tomorra, huh?" Jack asked as he climbed back out the window.

"We'll see about that, I'm still not so sure about only getting ten percent. And you do know you can use the door, right?"

"I prefer da winda," Jack replied and Davie merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Good night Katherine," he added before disappearing behind Jack. Just after they disappeared from sight Katherine heard another, somewhat less friendly, voice behind her.

"Hello Katherine."


End file.
